Coin-tray.



PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907.

J. W. MEAKER.

GOIN TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25, 1905.

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No. :344;283.' PATBNTBD PEB.12, 1907. J. W. MBAKER.

GOIN TRAY.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 25. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTOE.

JOHN W. MEAKER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO MEAKER SCALES COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

COIN-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1907.

Appligaton filed November 25, 1905. Serial No. 289,078.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. MEAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Trays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved coin tray or device for holding or supporting coins in separate groups each containing a fixed or predetermined number of coins arranged in oiTset relation to each other, so that all of the coins in any one group or any lesser number of coins may be readily grasped between the ingers and removed from the tray without the necessity of thereafter counting them and also without disturbing the other coins of the group from which a lesser number may be removed.

The tray herein shown as embodying my invention is more especially intended for use in connection with automatic coin-delivering apparatus 3 but such tray may be used separately, if desired.

The invention consists in the matters hereina-iter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end view of a tray embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a portion of the tray, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view of a tray embodying my invention in a modified form. Fig. 5 is a plan view, and Fig. 6 an end view, ofthe tray illustrated in Fig. 4=.-

The main or body portion of the tray illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 has its surface corrugated or provided with a series of parallel ribs or ridges A, in which the coin-receiving recesses B are formed. The entire body portion of the tray may be formed from a single sheet of corrugated metal, or the entire tray may be made of cast metal; but I prefer to form each of the Acorrugations or ridges A separately, so that I may economically build a tray having a single ridge or corrugation for holding a comparatively small number oi coins or one having any desired number of ridges, as circumstances may require.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each rib or ridge A is formed from a sheet-metal plate a, bent into semicylindrical Jform and having its side marginal edges bent outwardly, as at a.

When the tray is designed to hold coins of various denominations, the corrugations or ridges A are made in varying sizes, each being made of a size suitable for the coins it is intended to support. designed to hold silver dollars only, and all of the ridges A are therefore made the same size, and each is provided with five coin recesses or openings B.

The several plates a, each forming a ridge A of the tray, are bound together side by side between two vertical plates C and C', which form the iront and rear plates of the tray. Said iront and rear plates C and C are preferablyfmade of wood, and each is provided on its inner face with an offset portion c, which is slotted to receive the end margins of the plates a. Said oiiset or thickened portion of the plates C and Cl is provided .with a horizontal slot c and a series of vertical slots c2, the latter being arranged in pairs to receive the upright marginal edges of the plates a, the outwardly-bent portions of said plates entering the horizontal slot c, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. When the marginal edges of the several plates a areproperly seated in the grooves or slots of the iront and rear plates C and C, the latter are bound together by means of two or more rods D, which are located between two adjacent ridges A and riveted to said front and rear plates, as shown in Fig. 2.

The elevations or ridges A are provided with coin-receiving recesses or openings B, having parallel end walls l) and b and stepped side walls b2, the steps b3 of the latter corres onding in number to the number of coins t e recess or opening is designed to receive. These recesses or openings are 'formed transversely of the ridges A and centrally thereof, so that the end walls b and b of the recesses will be elevated above the stepped side walls b2 and afl'ord supports for maintaining the coins in a substantially upright position when inserted in said recesses transversely of said ridges. The stepped side walls b2 constitute the supports for the coins and are so located with reference to each other that when the coins are inserted in the openings with their flat faces parallel with the end walls o and o the margins or edges of the coins will rest upon the stepped side walls of the openings and be held in a substantially upright position by the. end

The tray illustrated is IOO walls b and b", the individual coins of each group of coins being supported one above the other or in o'iset relation bythe steps baci the sidewalls.

The openings B (illustrated in the drawings) are each designed to hold iive silver dollars, the space between the end walls being sufricient to admit the five coins, (shown at E in Figs. l and 3,) and as the side wallslare each provided with iive steps b3 the individual coins are supported one above the other, so that five or any lesser number of coins may be readily grasped between the fingers and removed from the tray at one operation. rlhe width of each step b3 of the side walls b2 should be slightly greater than the thickness of a single coin, but must be less than the thickness of two coins, so thata single coin only can rest upon each step, and no more coins can be inserted in the recess than are provided for by the number oi steps,veven though the distance between the end walls of the recess should be slightly greater than the combined thickness of the individual coins.

Thus with the stepped supports no more coins can be inserted in a recess than are provided for by the steps.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have illustrated another form of tray embodying the main feature of my invention in a modiiied form. As there shown the tray is in the form of a boX having a bottom wall E, iront and rear walls F and F2, and a top wall F3. rIhe top wall F3 is provided with coin-receiving recesses B", having end walls b and b', which are parallel with each oth er and also parallel with the side wall F and F2 of the tray. The stepped side walls b2 b2 of said openings are also parallel with each other, so that the general form ofthe recess or opening corresponds to aparl other in a substantially'upright position and with their edges resting upon the bottom plate E ofthe tray, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In the ktray rst described each group of coins is supported upon stepped side walls of the coin recesses or openings in which the coins are-placed, while in the tray illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 the stepped side walls of the coin-recesses perform no function beyond that of holding the individual coins in offset relations to each other, so that an entire group of coins or any lesser number may be readily removed hom the tray at one operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A coin-tray having Va recess for receiving and supporting a plurality of coins of like di# mensions in offset relation, said recess being provided with stepped supports for the several individual coins, each of which supports is adapted in width to accommodate only a single coin. v

2. A coin-tray having a recess or opening for receiving a plurality of coins of like dimensions, said recess having parallel end walls and .stepped side walls, the individual steps ofthe side walls vbeing of a width substan tially equal to the width of a single coin, and

the series of steps serving to restrict the numy ber of coins in the recess or opening and to nesses.

JOHN W. MEAKER. Witnesses:

WM. A. SANDS, ARTHUR BECKER.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 844,283.

It is hereby certied that the name of the assignee in Letters Patent No. 844,283, granted February l2, 1907, upon the application of John W. Meaker, of Detroit, Michigan, for an improvement in Coin-Trays, Was erroneously Written and printed Meaker Scales Company, Whereas said name should have been Written and printed Meeker Sales Company; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Ohce.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of February, A. D., 1907.

E. B. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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